The new Eric Emmanuel Schmitt is not a fiction resulting from his whimsical and poetic spirit, but a biography of Maria Callas told by her rival.

A mysterious rival

“La Callas? You’ll see : soon no one will remember her.” Who’s speaking ? A certain Carlotta Berlumi. The name of this mysterious old lady means nothing to anyone, yet she staunchly maintains that she had her hour of glory at La Scala and was Maria Callas‘ greatest rival. To hear her say, the Greek singer managed, through maneuvers and schemes, to throw her into oblivion, but she paid him back by precipitating her fall. Does Carlotta take her desires as realities ? Has she found in Callas the scapegoat for her failures, the magical explanation for her setbacks and her frustrations ? Through this comical and unforgettable character, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt paints, with incomparable humor and mischief, the implicit portrait of a little-known Maria Callas. And invites us, as an expert in music and the twists and turns of the soul, into the clandestine backstage of the opera and the human heart.

One of the most widely read and represented French authors in the world

Playwright, novelist, short story writer, essayist, filmmaker, translated into 50 languages ​​and performed in as many countries, Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt is one of the most widely read and represented French authors in the world. The Cycle of the Invisible has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. He was unanimously elected in January 2016 by his peers as a member of the Académie Goncourt. He is also the most studied author in middle and high schools. Born in 1960 in Lyon, this associate professor of philosophy, doctor of philosophy, normalien of rue d’Ulm, author of a thesis on Diderot, first made himself known in the theater in 1991 with La Nuit de Valognes, his first big success. . He won’t stop. Not only have the greatest actors performed or are performing his plays – Belmondo, Delon, Francis Huster, Jacques Weber, Charlotte Rampling and many others – but the Grand Prix of the Académie française crowns all of his theatrical work from 2001. Luminous novelist, outstanding storyteller, music lover, Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt conveys an emotion tinged with gentleness and poetry in all the arts. He is both a screenwriter and a director, signs the French translation of operas, smiles at comics and goes on stage himself to interpret his texts or accompany a pianist or a soprano… In 2012, the Royal Academy of Language and French literature from Belgium offers him chair no. 33, occupied before him by Colette and Cocteau. In 2016, he was unanimously elected by his peers as a member of the Goncourt jury.